Strengthen bones and teeth with white sugar?? What am I crazy?? If you don’t know much about me, you would say yes. Stick around long enough and you might find I’m surprisingly sane.
I have no interest in perpetuating dogma or saying the same thing everyone else says and thinking like everyone else thinks. The bottom line is that I and several others I communicate with have noticed a tremendous loss of tooth sensitivity as our teeth have become stronger. That much is indisputable fact. No one could convince me that my teeth haven’t become significantly less sensitive over the past year, because they have, and it’s obvious.
What I want to know is why. This post is about exploring the potential mechanisms behind the increase in tooth strength I and others have experienced eating freely of sugar ? in ?natural? form, from whole foods like fruits, and even from totally refined white sugar (and evil high-fructose corn syrup, but I didn’t want to scare the health fanatical too much by using that in the title!).
How is such a thing possible?? It makes no sense that a food with no nutrient value whatsoever, not a trace of minerals, could increase the density of bones and teeth. How could adding it to one’s diet possibly help?
A brief history of my mouth?
At age 12?it was Katie. I kissed her on the cheek and then she told me things were ?getting too serious? and totally dumped me. Dyke. Then Kelly. Courtney. Then that one chick that ran away from home and lived in my closet without my parents knowing for 3 days?
Wait, wait. Not that kind of mouth history. And no, not an ?oral history? in the tribally indigenousey kind of way. I describe my mouth as one with ?more metal than a Slayer concert.? I had severe tooth decay as a kid, had all my molars filled, had all my baby teeth fall out, and had all my adult molars filled with amalgams by age 12. My teeth seemed better after puberty for a while, but got super sensitive when I started restricting my diet.
The worst was actually as a low-carber on a ZERO sugar, and I mean zero ? from all sources (including fruit, juice, etc. ? as well as white flour) diet.
Huh?? My early research pointed me towards white sugar as being the primary culprit in tooth decay. That’s what everybody thinks, both mainstream and alternative, both past and present. I mean, I like taking the opposing viewpoint and all, but I never could do it with sugar. That just seemed impossible.
It’s not impossible.
It’s not impossible when you get beyond the very limiting nutritionist mindset and instead branch out into a physiology mindset, and even further. What matters is not what you eat per se, but how your body works. How your body works is the true bottom line. What you eat is a big factor. Definitely an All-Star on the Health Team. But it doesn’t matter how good your players are if they still can’t put the pieces together well enough to win the game. Putting more focus on basic bodily functions and taking attention away from the small details of nutrition has been a huge catalyst to greater success.
When it comes to bones and teeth, which share many physiological principles (bones and teeth tend to regenerate together, or degenerate together ? the same factors that affect one affect the other), it’s not so much what you eat. It’s more a matter of what your body does with what you eat.
I ate a very nutritious diet growing up. I drank over a gallon of whole?milk per week even at only 8 years old. I never drank soda. My mom cooked tons of homecooked meals with real, unrefined foods. For a while my dad cut white flour and white sugar out of the house completely. Even the breakfast cereals I ate were the most fortified ones. I certainly had enough raw nutrition to have great teeth. But I didn’t. They were horrible. My health sucked too. I was sick all the time.
Now my diet is roughly the same, worse in many ways (I eat Cocoa Puffs instead of more whole foodsy Total or Raisin Bran or Just Right. I drink at least a little Coke almost every day), and my teeth are getting stronger. It’s all in the details. My body functions differently now because of how I get the details right and the total net sum of all my metabolic functions is generally far better than it was during my adolescence.
In my youth I was constipated, had cold hands and feet a lot (had to hold little hand heaters while skiing), had low blood pressure and a very low resting pulse rate (40-45 beats per minute as a teenager), etc. Now I don’t suffer from any of those shortcomings. I have raised my metabolic rate tremendously.
And now for a grand revelation. The process of actually increasing bone and tooth density is a very anabolic process. It depends upon secreting a lot of the hormones of youth while having a lower secretion of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol that break bone down, slow the rate of tissue renewal (a factor in the collagen synthesis that takes place in bones to keep them from breaking down), and reduce thyroid output.
If you are in a calm, warm, toasty, high metabolic state, with a body temperature around 99 degrees F, with great circulation to the hands and feet ? a simple outwardly indicator of what’s going on inside, you can be pretty certain that your stress system is quieted down. When it is, your body goes into a state conducive to laying down fresh muscle mass, bone mass, tooth mineral, connective tissue, and so on. Even on a diet with less than optimal nutrient loads, the body still can maintain a positive mineral balance (and a positive collagen balance which seems to have even more to do with bone health and the prevention of bone deterioration with aging than minerals) ? meaning more minerals going in than coming out. After all, human breast milk is no more nutritious than a bowl of ice cream sweetened with buttloads of white sugar, and babies are growing bones and teeth like weeds at a young age.
What helps keep the body in that state more of the time?? Frequent feedings, and feedings that emphasize sugar at that. When you eat, the glucocorticoids, or stress hormones, shut down. But after a couple of hours the glucocorticoids rise once again to raise blood sugar. Even a miniscule amount of carbohydrate is enough to keep the glucocorticoids suppressed. That way your body doesn’t have to borrow sugar from the adrenal glands and enter into a temporary catabolic state. This is obviously why bodybuilders swear by the power of frequent feedings, trying to spend more time in the growth state with more ?anabolic drive? to’steal a phrase from Stephen Cherniske.
Anyway, all I have needed to get some great tooth strengthening is to eat a surplus of calories (and probably get double the nutrients of someone on a whole foods diet by sheer quantity of food ingested, despite the large amount of refined carbohydrates in my diet), eat frequently ? particularly of the primary anti-stress S’s? sugar, starch, and salt, take in the ideal amount of fluids (not too much!), and in-turn keep my hands and feet warm and body temperature high as much of the time as possible.
Even if you are freaking out about how many nutrients you may be missing out on ? that infamous ?nutrient debt,? you can easily make up for lost minerals in refined sugar by consuming cheese, milk, shellfish, some blackstrap molasses, and taking supplemental minerals like my favorite Min-Col. Or just some good wholesome foods in general.
Sugar used to actually hurt my teeth when I ate it! Eating a simple banana on a low-carb diet would make my teeth ache for two days! Eating tons of sugar at first made my gums bleed for months! But alas I have no problems there anymore, no matter what I eat. Not because my diet is better or more nutrient-dense, but because my health is better and I digest and metabolize foods differently because of it. I hope some of you can grasp that concept.
And of course hypothyroidism is known to cause tooth decay, and normalizing thyroid function reverses it. That’s what’s really going on here, and sugar, from natural or even refined sources, plays a big role in increasing metabolic rate.
Dentists are far too caught up in a mechanistic view of how tooth decay works. ?Sugar ya see feeds bacteria, which leads to fermentation and the production of acids as a by-product, then this wears down tooth enamel ? the first step in the development of tooth decay.
Nutritionists are too mechanistic too. ?Sugar don’t got no minerals ya see, and teeth are made of minerals, so if you eat the ‘toxic anti-nutrient? known as sugar yer teeth are just gonna waste away.
Well, I eat sugar all damn day long from fruit, sweet potatoes, juice, Coca-Cola, dried fruit, kid cereals, ice cream, chocolate, English muffins slathered with Smuckers, I make totally badass Tiramisu by the way, and even eat’sugary stuff?right before bed, and only brush a couple times a week? and my teeth just keep getting stronger. It’s not just me either. I’m hearing this reported more and more when people get things really dialed in tight.
When your body is healthy, you don’t get cavities. When it is compromised, you very well might. Sure, dental hygiene and all that plays a role, and nutrient intake plays a role, but they are small roles in that battle. I would say dental hygiene contributes to, at most, 20% of my own dental health. Nutrient density doesn’t contribute much at all, as eating a very nutritious whole foods diet prohibits me from consuming enough calories to get into a high-metabolic, anti-stress, tooth-strengthening state.
Anyway, throw that kink into your health food fetish. There is a lot I left out for the sake of brevity, such as the role carbohydrates play in carbon dioxide levels, and the role of carbon dioxide in bone synthesis,?but happy to discuss more in the comments.
Some links?
Osteoporosis, Aging, Tissue Renewal
Can Thyroid Disease Make You Prone to Cavities?
I really want to eat like this but I break out in little itchy pimples when I eat sugar. Any advice! I would love to eat with freedom.
What kind of sugar? I’m still working on increasing my metabolic rate, but I don’t do well with some things like sulfites. Skin reactions is one of the things that helped me figure it out. So for that reason I do avoid corn syrup and corn starch, as well as sugar that’s just called ‘sugar’ — but I’m just fine with cane sugar. If it’s just called ‘sugar’ then it might also contain sugar beets that have been sulfited (and they may also be GMO to boot…).
Yep, beet sugar makes me break out too, cane sugar does not, except if I have too much molasses :( Interesting that it might be sulfites. What else has sulfites?
Here’s a place to start, ref. what else has sulfites.
http://holdthesulfites.com/?page_id=4
It’s been a bit of a challenge with my gluten free baking, to not use baking powder (due to the corn or even potato starch), but I’m making it work and just made some yummy sugar cookies with rice and almond flour and baking soda with vinegar (plus eggs and the usual stuff).
You can make your own baking powder by mixing one part baking soda with 2 parts cream of tartar (find it in the spice section. Some brands have it, some don’t. If you leave out the filler of added starch you will need to use 25% less than the recipe calls for. (i.e. 1/4 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp cream of tartar replaces 1 full tsp of commercial baking powder.)
This home made B.P. will not be “double acting”; so it will rise when the water is added and NOT rise a second time in the oven, so your results will be a little denser, but it works just fine.
Good luck!
One possible explanation: Your skin is an organ of elimination. As such, you can be reasonably sure that “little itchy pimples” are a positive sign that your system has finally gathered enough strength to begin eliminating toxins. All of those little ickies have been hiding under the surface of your complexion all along and your body has been dying to push them all out, if only it had the wearwithal to do so. Your pores would love to “poop” all of that crap out! I suggest “pushing through”–allowing detoxification to take place. I have done so myself and have a lovely skin to show for it with only about two days worth of slight embarrassment over it. Other temporary symptoms of detoxification taking place might be a stuffy or runny nose, a sore throat, either constipation or diarrhea, or swollen lymph nodes. These all pass. My best to you, Julie
Raw milk and tooth soap seem to be the magic bullet for me. Haven’t had a cavity in 12 years. Surprisingly even toward the latter stages of my heavily restricted diet, no problems. I was living on cheese, lamb, sweet potatoe, dates, zucchini and cashews, lol.
I was wondering about the Min-Col, as there’s been a lot of talk in the past on here about the iron content. What’s your spin on it, Matt? I was under the impression that iron on its own is dangerous, but when found in balance with other minerals, a balance of sorts occurs. I’ve also heard that we don’t necessarily absorb all the iron. Stress also increases iron absorption apparently. I’d love to try the Min-Col – just wanted your opinion, Matt.
Thanks.
You certainly have my head spinning! Right now i am struggling to pull out of adrenal collapse & all that comes with it it;hypothyroid, hypoglycemia, etc..and the world is screaming at me to eat SO MUCH animal protein and NO sugar…but you are saying that WHEN i get healthy, i won’t really have to eat like this for the rest of my life???? omg.
I wouldn’t eat like this anymore starting today. Eating a bunch of meat and no sugar just makes the root problem worse, and will make you increasingly reactive to carbohydrates.
Yes stop with all the meat immediately! Eating a high meat diet for me caused many adrenal fatigue problems with waking up in the middle of the night with my heart beating out of my chest. Sugar rocks!
Be very careful with those darn proteins. That rabbit hole nearly killed me.
Dude. Don’t listen. Try a scoop of vanilla with rainbow sprinkles on a sugar cone instead, I speak from experience.
When I started following the advice on your blog 5 months ago, I had two problems teeth that I think had cavities under fillings. I hate dentists, so I decided to just see if they got better on their own. Haven’t even thought about it in over a month, cavities seem to have vanished.
Yes, I couldn’t agree more. The only time in my life, again I repeat, the ONLY time in my life that I had a cavity, was after three years on a hard core no carb diet. no sugar what so ever and I was disappointed going to the dentist, cause I thought for sure they will be able to see that I haven’t had any sugar in three years. Not so, the dentist actually told me to stop eating sugar….I nearly lost it….
Of course getting a great job that I loved suddenly remineralized my teeth. So crazy. Then since I lost that job my teeth are not doing so great again….stress is a major factor here for sure.
Would love to hear more about carbon dioxide and carbs. Is there a short thing like more carbs = more carbon dioxide?
Would you do a blog post on circulation and what causes swelling in the feet? I know this must have correlation to your new book and body fluids, but I don’t understand how. Like when in pregnancy your feet swell and they tell you to drink lots of water. Which I am guessing is wrong. Is swelling in feet determined by salt/sugar/water ratio in your body? Sorry this is a bit off topic. You got me thinking about after mentioning in this post about having better circulation.
My experience has been that the salts (which are several not just sodium) are out of balance. Matt has done several posts about salt, sugar, and hydration. There should be some in the archives (not too old either, within the last year.)
Hey Matt,
Just reviewed your Eat for Heat on Amazon and thought it was great. I’ve actually been wondering about the role of diet in tooth health. According to a lot of diets out there, mainly paleo based ones, there are plenty of tribes who live without tooth decay and have never even heard of Crest Total Care nonetheless been to a dentist. I’ve actually been conducting my own experiment lately and as gross as this may sound, I haven’t brushed my teeth in at least a couple of weeks (it’s okay, I don’t have a girlfriend so no one is suffering). In the past I would have expected them to get more yellow, as they always did when I was being lazy growing up. I just checked them today though and they are actually very white. Any thoughts on ditching the standard floss and brush method completely? Thanks and keep coming with the good stuff.
-Kel
Read Weston A Price to learn more about isolated tribes that were free from dental (and other) issues. Keep in mind, though, there were *many* differences between their lifestyles and ours other than food. Nutrition was probably just one small piece of the puzzle.
Derek, I can’t defend it, but I recall in one of those radio interviews Ray Peat said that he believed PUFAs were definitely a major cause of tooth decay. I can’t even recall if he gave a detailed reason as to why he believed that, but it might be worth looking into his line of thought.
Some of the recent articles by Chris Masterjohn seem to indicate somewhat of a convergence between WAPF and Ray Peat. “Precious yet Perilous” regarding PUFA, and his latest article on nutrient synergies, which, among other things, stresses the importance of balancing methionine with glycine and gelatin.
Still a big discrepancy regarding sugar, though I tend to current lean towards Peat, in that sugar/fructose is only an issue when coupled with excess PUFA.
You should enjoy the video I did back in May immensely Kel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynNETFgGIn0 And thanks so much for the review. Overachiever much?
Glycerin is a common ingredient in toothpastes and will prevent remineralization. Or at least so I’m told. Best oral hygiene is probably to chew on a stick of some sort (willow, licorice etc) then use the ‘brush’ on front teeth.
Great timing. Just found out my son has a bunch of cavities and a few that need extensive work. Got the sch-peal about sugar feeding bacteria destroying enamel. It didn’t sound quite right. It’s not like the sugar stays on your teeth for hours after eating. Even gummy bears are dissolved in less than 30 minutes without brushing.
My concern has been him not eating enough and I’ve been trying to get him to eat more even before the dentist visit. He’s a thin wiry kid. He sleeps fairly well and wakes up with more energy than I have all day. I’m afraid that that morning energy is adrenalinic (new word) energy since he usually is satisfied for a few hours with 2 slices of good old fashioned store bread with some jelly although at lunch he can put down a double cheese burger or 2 and some Sprite from McSavior’s. He’s not big on fries though. Other than his sandwich bread, he’s not big on starchy food. He’s not too big on fruit but he’ll put down some juice. He doesn’t pee a lot and it’s yellow whenever I see it.
Matt,
I went to amazon and, under books entered “eat for heat” didn’t come up.
Entered Matt Stone and, only one of your books popped up. (not Eat for Heat)
I will use your highlighted source above as it does take me to the book.
Just wanted you to be aware that amazon needs to fix the glitch.
It’s not a glitch, just a brand-new listing.
Sample size of 1, no long term results, and the fact that you had already healed out a lot of stuff prior doesn’t make for very good research. ;-) And, can you really be sure it’s the sugar that’s strengthening your bones and teeth? I’d want to see before and after bone density tests before I’d believe all this. I get tons of sugar too, but mostly from whole foods. I’ll stick with that.
There are other reasons, other than sugar, to be concerned about colas, no? Phosphoric acid from cola raises the level in the blood which has to be balanced out with calcium which is taken from the tissues — bones first.
I’m all for eating for heat; even bought the new book. But I’m one of those who never would have healed my many serious health issues if I had eaten as you’re are.
Zuza, you said ” you had already healed out a lot of stuff prior”
that is where you should look first. Sugar shouldn’t be the issue as it is not the cause. Due to it being able to supply enough calories to facilitate a proper metabolic rate it is your friend where oat bran, rice cakes and salad will fail most people in this regard. Even while foods you are eating maybe whole they may be inadequate in certain respects depending on your needs. the sugar is giving Matt’s body enough calories to be in a state where everything else is functioning properly including tooth repair so yes sugar can be the determining factor in good teeth.
I just had a 400 pound wooden beam twice s thick as a railroad tie fall on my forearm a few weeks ago and it bounced without a break. I’ve been eating plenty of sugar for a really long time so thats long term results. I also train people and recommend sugar often and I would say that as a sample size it’s more than enough to support this as being accurate.
P.S. Do not misinterpret me peoples, I’m not saying go on a coke and twinkie diet tomorrow lol, I’m saying don’t fear sugar in all contexts it can have significant benefits.
Thats interesting: when I had to heal from a terrible broken foot all I wanted was soda and Little Debbies snack cakes (their version of a twinkie). I healed extremely well from what was described as ‘powdered bone’. I just couldn’t bring myself to eat. I was nauseous the whole time except for my one snack cake per day. I don’t recomend that as a diet, its all I could swallow. I wasn’t restricting myself at all. I was on mandatory rest for the foot. I wonder if it was the sugar that I used to repair the bone. I do know that when I was a teen I drank a lot of diet colas, when I learned about the formaldehyde I quit them at 21. I also discovered I had terrible bone brittleness and some bone loss in my jaw at 28 years old. I started taking fish oil, and the brittleness went away, and much of the bone healed. I don’t know if there is a correlation or if it was just co-incidence.
Got your book ‘Eat for Heat’ earlier this evening…’feels’ right on…i do tend to crave/chug kombucha more than water & wonder what’s up with that…maybe the ‘Bs’ are helping with stress…also drink a good amount of bone broth; hope that’s a good choice.
I have been off white sugar for prob 2 decades & can’t even look at it w/out a headache, so i will go cautiously here..as you said; i’ve become reactive to it?
Many thanks for your insights!
my mom worshipped margarine, and thought starch and sugar was bad. this was in the 60’s – she was university educated and believed the scientific experts (in the newspaper haha!). there were 3 kids, 2 adopted separately, so each one has a different genetic inheritance. guess what we all had to have braces. in addition, varied health problems – allergies, asthma, epilepsy, too skinny, too chubby, etc. naturally i became a health nerd trying to heal myself. weston price, good fats, yay butter, broths, meat, etc. raw milk and kefir!!
I would love to hear more about sugar and carbon dioxide levels. Please share
I drink coke, eat sugar and only brush my teeth once a day and don’t have cavities. My stress levels are still too high and my thyroid is still off so I know I am not optimally using nutrients. I don’t have cold hands and feet though, never did. (except in the winter in the middle of the night of I wasnt wearing socks. I lived in a house with no heat…)
I’m still considering trying the RBTI thing. Just to see if I can help myself more. Also, I gained 12 lbs from taking an anti depressant. Im having a very hard time getting back to my normal weight of 122-125. (I’m 5’5″ and currently 134)
All of my friends are acupuncturists, naturopaths etc… (I’m one too). All they post on FB is crap about how bad soda is for you, how bad carbs are, how you should eat leafy greens all day and chia seed smoothies. It’s so annoying. I’m sure you would have loved to see the looks on my fellow students and attending physicians faces when I’d walk into clinic with a liter of Mexican coke ;)
I notice two things:
A) You are taking a drug that can elevate your serotonin, which is far from a good thing. Serotonin is a stress hormone.
B) You might be getting too little protein and calcium. The body needs protein to detoxify estrogen according to Ray Peat. I know I had success with some of my stutt when I increased milk consumption a la Ray Peat.
Ray peat thinks that what is actually happening with SSRI’s is that they are DECREASING availability of serotonin and that is why they have a beneficial effect. I know they are “bad” but they have saved my life multiple times. I am down to 1/4 of dosage I was on before.
Calcium could be an issue. I don’t seem to metabolize it well in any form. I crave milk. I drink goats milk. I get adequate protein most days
When I took Lexapro I never gained weight. I maintained the same weight for 8 years. that drug is a bitch to get off of though. I will never, ever take it again but in 2005 it saved my life so I am grateful for it.
Lexapro made me impotent for a year. Couldn’t wait to get off that dope!
A friend of mine went on anti-depressants (SSRI) and gained about 20 pounds. She stayed on for a few years, and then within a few months of going off lost all of the weight effortlessly. It fell off. My mom takes a low-dose tri-cyclic med and has never been thin since.
Another friend of mine lost 100 pounds almost ten years ago and kept if off really well (not doing anything crazy). He went on SSRIs for anxiety several months ago and is almost back to his old size again. It makes me really sad actually. I was close to him while he was losing the weight and know how much it meant for him.
These drugs are serious weight-gaining inducers for a lot of people! I doubt RBTI will help that at all.
Why do you not think RBTI would help at all? Its working with the chemistry of the body. I don’t think it would matter what drugs you are taking. its simply about keeping mineral, salt and sugar in correct balance. Not sure how a drug would change this RBTI’s ability to measure this
Yep I have gained 20-25 pounds on Lexapro over about 1 year. It sucks, because I love it in every other way. But nothing will budge my weight. The weird thing is that is also LOWERED my appetite so I eat a lot less now. I wonder what kind of mechanism is at play there. I sure hope it comes off if I can find another anti-depressant to replace Lexapro.
I didn’t gain any weight on lexapro and they say its known for being one to not cause weight gain. I am sorry to hear that you did not have that experience!!
Its a tough call since it obviously helped you in many other ways. (as they often do even though everyone, especially people on this blog apparently like to hate on them. )
I took mine for PTSD. There is some fascinating research about there about SSRI’s and brain anatomy. People who have PTSD and depression often have very atrophied hippocampus’ and enlarged amydala’s. SSRI’s cause the hippocampus to regenerate the amygdala to shrink. its probably due their blocking (not increasing) serotonin which is a stress hormone.
You might want to check out the book “The Body Bears the Burden” by Richard Scaer MD. amazing book.
That’s funny Sarah- I am an acupuncturist too, and that’s been my experience. Sugar is the last, great EVIL that no one will stick up for. It wasn’t until Ray Peat started publishing a few pro-sugar articles and I found Matt’s site, that I actually started to take a look at my own views about it. I was off of sugar and starch for a good couple of years and all it did was ruin my metabolism and health. I’ve taken great – almost guilty – pleasure at downing a few Mexican cokes in front of colleagues lately. It feels “edgy” and defiant!! Ha!
As for sugar and CO2, Ray Peat has some good articles on CO2 in general, but simply put, it’s a metabolic by product of carb metabolism, the importance of which has been totally lost on most mainstream thinkers of nutrition and health. Ultimately this effects venous blood ph, and other areas in ways that can be beneficial for many people….
Rock on!! love it. Go Mexican Coke!!
Interesting and great post.
I had cold hands and feet as a kid in a home with at times terrible conflict. I recently had all my 5 fillings removed and 1 tooth even died that had a really deep cavity, but amazingly it still sits in my mouth usable and pain free (it abscessed for a number of weeks) – it only hardened after zinc and k2 supplementation. I’ve made it a goal to never see a dentist ever again, I think my life suffered as a result of the mercury they installed in my mouth. At its highest levels, dentistry and the pharmaceutical industry is about money.. and dentists are generally not well people anyway.
Maybe with all that eating you’re getting adequate zinc levels, which is so important to the body but can be lacking in food due to soil depletion. If you’re eating so much, it may be because you’re not getting all the nutrients you need, and that itself is stressful. I’ve started on sprouts and soaked nuts for breakfast and I have reduced a lot of hunger.
But, my main point was that in Nagel’s “Cure Tooth Decay,” his main point was that decay is caused by hyperglycemia which affects the calcium/phosphorus ratio in the blood, and as a result calcium is drawn from the teeth and bones to keep it in check. He also stresses the intake of fat-soluble vitamins, but according to your thinking it may not be the vitamins, but the fat which destresses the body.
I think there are many factors at work. I read about 1 guy who brushes with a drop of clove oil and hasn’t had a tooth issue for 10 years. I won’t touch toothpaste or fluoride-covered floss, only use neem oil,
Adrian- your comment about dentists reminded me of something that made sense when I read it: everyone talks about how relatively common suicide is among dentists. It may well be because they’re handling mercury on a regular basis, and that messes you up in the head.
That was the opinion of my dentist, who reports a remission of leukemia, nearly on his deathbed, in part due to removing the metal in his mouth.
They are dangerous people because when their sugar theory fails, they blame the patient. If sugar does have an effect on the teeth, according to Nagel and his research it’s due to insulin spikes which affect the calcium/phosphorus ratio and a such its systemic sugar, not topical sugar which might pose a problem. I’ve read that refined sugar actually recharges the pancreas (or something along those lines.) Money, peer group pressure and avoiding lawsuits from past wrongs keep dentists away from the critical thinking of why they continually need to drill, fill and bill all day. That automation would do one’s head in as well, also the sound of the drill, the antiseptic chemicals of the surgery, possibly the bright fluorescent lights, the x-rays and ignoring another’s pain. Fluoride and mercury are terribly toxic. I suggest you try to get floss without the fluoride coating, I get it from Mercola. I also brush with Bentonite clay, which nourishes the gums.
Rob my dentist reports that he started getting Multiple Sclerosis type symptoms. Then he made the connection with mercury, had his own mercury fillings removed and stopped using mercury as a filling for his patients. His symptoms were completely eliminated. He’s a good man and doesn’t charge more than regular dentists (I mention that because a lot of the “holistic” dentists around here in San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley put a major hole in your bank account).
Matt, I would love to read more form you about blood pressure and it’s relationship to metabolism and such. Over the last couple of years I have been measuring my blood pressure off and on and I have rather low BP. A few times it has measured very low. I never thought much of it until reading a few tidbits here and there that you have written, but you have never gone into detail.
I’m so confused. if eating all this crap is ok then why is everyone obese and dying of chronic degenerative diseases? HELP!!!!
But are people really only consuming sugar ? No, they are consuming loads of rancid vegetable oil along with it.
@Janelle – you make a great point, which is that most sugary things like donuts, pastries, etc all come load with rancid PUFA. People immediately blame the sugar, but I think the rancid PUFA is the main reason that many sugary foods have bad effects on those that eat them…substitute coconut or palm oil and donuts might be the next great hi energy food!
Don’t you think its also that some people are just eating SO MUCH sugar? I agree with the PUFA thing. PUFA and sugar and PUFA and alcohol are bad combinations. But even without PUFA, eating candy and drinking soda all day lead to obesity for many people. I think. I’m not sure. Maybe they’re all eating a lot of PUFA too. PUFA is the standard cooking oil and oil in processed food in this country so unless you eat a mostly whole food diet or a very low fat diet you’re getting a lot PUFA. Even if you cook at home, unless you’re ‘In the know’ about avoiding canola, corn, soybean and most other veg oils (my Mom cooked with Wesson or Mazola) you’re getting a lot of PUFA. So who isn’t getting a lot of PUFA? Hardly anyone in this country. Probably an insignificant portion of any of the study populations for any of the studies on the effects of sugar. So maybe sugar is fine w/o PUFA but I suspect that above a certain threshold its bad in and of itself. But that amount is certainly higher than any low-carbers or paleo proponents believe it is. If it’s bad at all -which, again, I’m not sure of but I suspect to be the case.
are you saying the same foods that make us sick somehow bring us back to health too? I offically give up ;(
Don’t lose hope Jody, keep trying to understand, it’ll make more sense further down the rabbit hole.
I do think eating raises metabolism and trust me… I do eat all the time.. and good quality clean foods too mostly, but herE I am still 50 lbs overweight with a scorching case of hashimotos :( I do find i drink a ton of water but thats because I am always thirsty from all the salt/sugar I crave/ consume. as an aside, i do think all the paranoia about tooth brushing is crap, I have a special needs teen that literally hardly ever brushes unless I remember to do it for her and she has never had one cavity in 17 years and the dentist always tells me what gorgeous tooth enamel she has. ( shes also been dairy free for the past 10 yrs so go figure right?)
Hi Jody, I see people all the time to eating to do so and it does increase their metabolism, depending how and what. If you have hashi’s I’d like to work with you if you are interested, free of charge. I have a group I’m working with at the moment and I was going to do a post to ask more people to get involved because I’m trying to make sense of it. Let me know
just like matt I don’t brush, don’t need to.
well Cheif, as you can tell, I’m exasperated at this point but interested. I need to “get this” so would welcome any help. whats always puzzled me about this hashimotos is that I was diagnosed with it then years later when i was pregnant i went back to the endo to have a re-eval per my gyno recommendation and they said all tests were negative and it was GONE. HUH? how does that just disappear i’ve always wondered, than recently 16 yrs later it seems to be back. weird. anyway, just let me know how i can contact you. I’m definitely interested!
justaskchief@gmail. put hashi in the title it’ll get to me
What are you doing for Hashi’s folks? I have Hashi’s too but I manage it with LDN.
I agree! I’m about to lose it, too….
Me too……someone mentioned a Donut becoming basically a superfood by substituting veggeie oil for coconut oil. I really doubt it that PUFA is the only cause of declining health&obesity.
What about the addicting factors causing one to ‘overeat’ of sugar,wheat,starch for some,fat,glutamate etc……or for instance wheat,soy etc. causing hypothyroidism?
I’ve never been officially diagnosed of a thyroid disease,but I constantly seem to shift in thyroid/adrenalfunction. Though lots of symptoms between hypo&hyper are the same I’m guessing hypothyroidism the most.
Dope past Matt, I’m going to have to rewrite a post now in my junk food jedi series because you beat me too some if it !
POST * damn it
Where do you think alcohol fits in to this or does it?
BRB, we had a quick alcohol back and forth in the Eat for Heat post comments.
Damn you guys. Thanks for the reviews on Amazon. That badboy is already in the top 100 on Amazon’s Nutrition eBook list and climbing fast! http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/digital-text/156497011/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_kstore_1_6_last#5
NICE!
Still below a book with a glass of water on the cover. But it’s a start, the word is getting out there!
Damn 39 as of this morning! Also looking at some of those other diet books, i should be a writer, haha. Amazing what some people spend their money on.
Your work has helped me fill in some holes in my own thinking and research, and I am more than glad to write a good review for someone doing important work.
Cheers!
Wow, this is the post I’ve been waiting for. Totally blown away, lots to think about. I just read Nagel’s books and need to work out which bits can still apply and when. I get your argument and LOVE IT, but still feel like something is missing. What can you add about carbon dioxide levels? My teeth are good these days, bad as a kid. I don’t hold back on sweets, but rarely white sugar.
3 1/2 months off a VLCarb (veggies) and zero carb way of eating (I was not dieting):
Last August, I just got fed up and ate sweets, which I craved, not eating anything that would fill me up too much. I continued to eat sweets, adding starch. Now my desire for sweet is satiated with bananas and tropical fruits. I would eat a diet high in fat and carbs, with very little meat. I did this by following what my body wanted. I also did not feel like drinking much. Lately, I have been eating less carbohydrate and more protein. I could easily slip into a low carbohydrate way of eating (but not VLC or zero, but I could do this without craving anything). I do not want to do anything that would compromise my health.
When I was zero carb, it seemed as if my hair, teeth and skin were improved and strong. It was only after about one year that things seemed to reverse and I went from having lots of energy to none. My teeth don’t seem to be as hard as they used to be, but they seem to be getting better now. I say seem because I have never been to a dentist as an adult, so I have no way of measuring.
Most of the time I have had good teeth as an adult (I wonder if I really needed the fillings as a child and I want to have them removed) with no pain or sensitivity, despite not cleaning them everyday. I also have always had slightly low blood pressure and pulse, but warm hands (friends comment) that sometimes get very warm and “buzzy.”
Hey Matt, wht do you think you had bad health as a kid? Also how is your body fat these days, any changes?
Okay. So then why do you think that you had such bad health as a kid? You were eating everything then. Did you just not eat regularly enough? Too much calories, too few? Not enough exercise?
I keep wondering this same thing too…if you were not eating healthy as a child, how were you not healthy then.
Best post ever Matt!!!
I am about to buy the new book, was waiting for the kindle version. I don’t even need to read it to review it I’m sure. I also suffered from many many cavities and I’m sure I paid for a couple of dentists new homes. I have been eating high sugar and salt diet and my teeth are better than ever.No tartar or plaque, a painful molar stopped hurting. I also had severe knee pain after a tortuous round of low calorie diet and too much exercise and the knee pain is so much better.
My hands and feet are still cold sometimes and I’m hoping to resolve that after reading your book.
You go Matt!
P.S, I got admission in dental school and did not go :) now I realize it was the right decision.
Also in my crazy dieting years I I fractured my foot just from stepping wrong and twisting it. I can say with conviction that everything that I have suffered from cavities, fracture and even PCOS was because of constant weight loss efforts and cutting out sugar, salt and fat.
Thank you Matt Stone for doing all the research and providing so much information and support.
Matt, I just bought your Eat for Heat and 180 Degree Diabetes, and I am reading them in tandem. Now in 180 Degree Diabetes you strongly advise the reader against sugar and white flour. That seems to have changed by Eat for Heat, or am I missing something?
The only time i experience pain in my teeth are when I’m eating a store bought syrup (only added ingredient being salt) I handle homemade sirup (water+sugar), ice cream, and other sugary treats just fine.
Any thoughts on this?
So, Matt, based on this, what do you think caused tooth decay in Weston A. Price’s subjects? He seemed to think it was the de-mineralized foods, including sugar.
Amy, I have the same question. Although it occurs to me that there are many factors that Weston Price did not take into consideration. How much does stress factor into this? After all, going from an agricultural or even hunter-gatherer environment to an industrial one must be stressful. Also how about other factors like PUFAs. There are probably many other factors that he did not take into consideration, like the fact that fluoride in the long run can have damaging effects on teeth. How about the fact that they may not have been exposed to certain bacteria prior to moving in to the industrialized area. Of course, none of this proves that it wasn’t White bread or sugar that did the damage…all I am saying is that his study is incomplete in that there are a variety of factors that he did not include in his calculations.
I think PUFA exposure and toxic halogens play a big role in our current dilemna – circumstances that were different than when Weston Price was travelling the world..
Hmm. How many calories were they actually getting? Did they have any animal products in the diet at all? Some of the kids were going to schools for the first time, so yeah stress has got to be a factor. What about air quality? Mouth breathing can make your teeth crocked, at least according to Dr. Buteyko.
Even Price gave the kids with tooth decay problems sweetened cooked fruit with their re-mineralization meals. :P
The McGuire Sisters had it right in 1958…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH9HlmVfdyg
Haha, that was awesome. They were pretty cute!
I love sugar.
Does anybody remember Matts recent post on soy sauce? There’s a real hidden gem of wisdom in that one I think. Anybody care to agree/disagree?
OK then, I’ll discuss it with myself.
What is natural soy sauce composed of? 19 amino acids, one of which is glutamic acid.
What gives soy sauce it’s distinctive taste? ‘Unami’ taste buds which are sensitive to glutamic acid.
Western foods have plenty of sweet, sour, bitter and salty taste sensations. But not so much ‘unami’. I mean even the fact the name is uncommon proves we don’t eat many foods that use it, like soy sauce.
Hmmm, what might a better western name be for a ‘unami’ taste bud?
I’ll get back to myself shortly if nobody else cares to play.
umami* :P
I’m sure that’s a very clever reply John, unfortunately I don’t follow. But thanks for playing, I’ll keep going despite the risks:
unami = ‘protein’
Haha, hes saying you are spelling it wrong. Its umami.
Anyway, i started using soy sauce and rice a lot more after that post, dont know if it helps at all but it sure is tasty!
Tony,
I wanna play, but I’m not sure what we are playing. Are you saying that foods with Umami taste sensations may be helpful in raising metabolism and possibly strengthening teeth/bones possibly due to some benefit derived from Glutamic acid (an amino acid)?
Zach, thanks for clearing that up.
JonO,
I’m saying umami activates taste buds that are sensitive to glutamic acid (GA), a building block of protein.
The other ‘tastes’ are based on other chemical reactions, reacting to the presence of sugar, NA, pH…
Anyway, why the sense of taste? Just so we can have a party in our mouth when we eat?
Or is it a ‘early warning’ for the digestive system? If the early warning system never informs the digestive system that protein is on the way, might it’s digestion be impaired? Conversely, could adding the appropriate early warning might make the digestive system more efficient?
Could this simple principle be, in part, an explanation for why millions of asian people are so thin?
“Just so we can have a party in our mouth when we eat?” LOL, reminds of Stewie from “Family Guy”, after he ate some Fig Newtons saying ” Oh God, my mouth is having an orgasm!”
Thanks Tony. I understand now. Actually you are correct. The taste sensations on our tongues were pt there to “warn the digestive system”. That is why artificial sweetners are, in fact, fattening substances. The “sweet” sensations will signal to your body that you are eating something sweet (sugary taste) and that insulin needs to be produced.That is why the artificial sweetener will cause your body to produce insulin even though it is not sugar being absorbed into the blood system. So, you are definitely on to something about the Umami taste found in Asian foods.
I LOVE ice cream! But I don’t plan on feeding my baby ice cream instead of Breast milk. I think Breast milk is more nutritious. I still totally like this article and what it spells out for us. Whole foods by themselves: not healthy. refined foods by themselves: not healthy. Whole foods + Refined foods = YAY!!
Just reviewed “Eat For Heat” on Amazon. Guessing that all of the reviews are from people who post (or lurk) here. Having fun trying to figure out who the reviewers are in relation to monikers up here on the board.
Did the same!
I Love how you make people use their critical thinking skills! How would you explain babies who are exclusively breastfed on demand having allergy problems such as eczema, cradle cap, and painful digestion. Do you think they are born with messed up metabolisms? I would love to know for my next baby.
Thanks
This is a little long, but I hope you bear with my need to express my gratitude and share a question and comment or two. I’ve been saving them up for a while, so here they come:
Thank you, Matt Stone. You are a kindred spirit. I just finished reading your new book. I bet you hear this a lot, but I really appreciate your mind, not just what you say, but how you think!! I wonder what kind of education you had as a child and a young man that shaped your ability to reason, have the insights that you do, and be able to articulate them so well in writing (and speaking, for that matter. I’ve seen some of your vids and listened to a podcast). That is quite remarkable. I’m about your age and I love all the references to stuff I can totally relate to, having grown up in the same time period. And your words echo my own skepticism as I’ve thought through a lot of the things I’ve read over the years. It’s been the skepticism that’s kept me from delving completely into new diets, and yet I didn’t have the time or energy to really think it through and come to any solid conclusions for or against them. Imagine the jumble of all of that confusion in my brain. You’ve sorted it all out for me, and I’m so grateful. I’m not a blind follower, and I will continue to use my own brain, but I’ve been encouraged by your boldness to go that extra step and reject what doesn’t make sense.
I’ve been eating the food for about a month now, and I’m so glad to be free of the nutritional guilt I’ve plagued myself with for so long (I was the kid reading the nutrition labels on the cereal box, too). I never had the “power” to fully implement what I believed to be best or true (resources [physical, financial, and mental] were just not available and it was not top priority to become paleo or gluten free, especially with growing kiddos) but I thought about it an awful lot and gave myself too much stress over it. Thank God I’ve developed a healthy bit of skepticism when it comes to dietary stuff, and eating and supplementation plans that are recommended by really well paid natural health gurus and NDs. But until reading your stuff, I’ve still bounced the ideas around in my head…A LOT. That’s gone now and I love it. But I don’t like the fact that I’ve put on a few pounds while eating to appetite and then some. :-/ I’m not completely over that, though I feel I should be. I’ve let go of some of my body perfectionism. I’m 5′ 7 and 3/4″ exactly and about 140 pounds give or take, so I’m still slim but hate my little paunch after 4 babies and too much stress. I shouldn’t hate it, I know.
I’ve always been what I call a “good eater” and a “foodie” (I can plow the food if I let myself, and I do often) and so I don’t think I was ever able to damage my metabolism too badly or for very long, thankfully, but I do have the terrible problem with cold hands and feet. Probably Reynaud’s syndrome (mom has the same syndrome). It’s maddening and very uncomfortable. My basal temps are not bad. Mid to upper 97s pre ovulation and low to mid 98s post ovulation (sometimes almost 99 by the late afternoon).
I have very healthy teeth and some of that is genetic. We have some great teeth in our family. There is diabetes and pre-diabetes in the family and I wonder if I should check out my glucose clearance as you did (yes, I own a glucometer…I’m a testing geek) for a while to see what’s going on with that for my own entertainment, not for my own neurosis.
I know this isn’t really related to the post, but I’ve noticed one of my problems has worsened since I’ve started Eating the Food. I have a lot of extra heart beats (harmless but annoying PVCs) and whenever I eat big, especially with more carbs, the palpitations get worse afterwards for a while. ??? This also makes me hesitate to start any exercise programs, which I feel is the next step for me in my journey to being truly health (after eating the food, de-stressing, and keeping my urine yellow), because the exertion seems to also do stuff with my heart rhythm. Exercise has not been high on my priority list since reading Dr. Schwarzbein about 7 years ago. I concluded that my adrenals were shot and needed nothing more than calming exercises, so I have not exercised ever since, apart from housework, gardening, an enjoyable walk occasionally or a rare hike.
Matt, or anyone else, any insights on this? I’d love to start a free weight routine at home (no time for gym…running a business and homeschooling). What’s the deal with the PVCs after a big meal?
Also, I want to put a shout out to the late Dr. Brewer, for any pregnant women out there who are reading this, and to Matt for checking him out. Ray Peat even mentions him in at least one of his articles. He promotes plenty of salt, protein and food in general for pregnant women to avoid most pregnancy complications, because he says that most pregnancy complications are due to a “contracted blood volume” and that the salt, protein and calories help expand the blood volume for a healthy pregnancy. He does not push fluids, but only to thirst. Matt, you talk about this a lot (not related to pregnancy) in your new book. I followed his advice while pregnant and had good pregnancies (apart from some discomforts), luscious newborns, and now smart and growing kids, if I may say so.
http://www.drbrewerpregnancydiet.com/
There’s the link for anyone who is interested.
Thanks for hanging in there, whoever is still reading. :-)
Deranged heart rhythms are almost always a magnesium deficiency. Find a mag supplement that does’t give you a laxative effect and take it, see if it helps.
Thanks, I may try that. I’ve tried Hawthorne Berries and that helps with the symptoms, though not the root, I’m sure.
Sarah, I had the same problem re the abnormal heart beats and have found magnesium does help. I can’t tolerate taking it in capsule form but seem to do well with epsom salt baths and magnesium oil that I spray directly on to the skin. If you use it at night it also seems to have a nice relaxing effect that improves sleep.
The oil is of particular interest. The powder or capsules has given me the runs in the past even at pretty small doses. Not a lot of time for baths. I’m going to check out the oil. Thanks.
Yeah,
Magnesium is supposed to normalize and relax electrical signals in the heart muscle, unfortunately for me those little pills mostly just relax my bowels. I have actually been diagnosed with frank magnesium deficiency so I have to take as much as I can, both baths and oral, I have had really good luck with a liquid ionic form that I ordered from mineralifeonline although I think there are other companies that sell similar formulations, my theory is that it is mostly absorbed before it hits the gut, thus fewer bowel problems.
Acupuncturist can help with this A LOT. there is a formula called Zhi Can Cao tang that is excellent for what you are describing. I think in english it is called honey fried licorice decoction. its good stuff.
So I am reading your new ebook and things are just clicking for me left and right about why both my kids don’t sleep well…. their urine is diluted a lot. But how do you fix this problem for exclusively breastfed babies? Withhold night nursing? My 5 month old is a terrible sleeper and I’m too tired to do nething besides roll over and nurse, he will almost always pee through his diaper by morning thats how much milk he drinks! Yet he is not even that chunky for a 5 month old. Should I try to get him to go longer between feedings at night? I want to start solids soon, but not sure whose advice to follow.. fruit? egg yolks? cereal? of course not veggies… Any advice?
That is all normal for a five month old. Do not withhold feedings. You need to up your calories and specifically up your saturated fat, sugar and starch. That should positively effect your breast milk. Try to feed him breast milk almost exclusively untill 12 months, many studies have been done on the positives associated with prolonged breast milk feeding. This will give your child the best head start that you can.
Also i believe my kids first foods were rice and fruit.
Do you think it may have to do with what you are eating? Are you getting enough calories?
Oh God, i just lost my reply to you.
I have only time to say this: my babies are sleeping much better after i started giving them some activated B6 and zinc, together with magnesium oil on their legs. They are loosing these nutrients easily, it could be pyroluria, but until i figure out how to fix it i’ll continue with the supplements.
Good luck mama.
That is interesting! I have tried a few things, I give him epsom salt baths he seems to be more relaxed after those. But no matter what he seems uncomfortable at night, might be reflux. It may be something I am eating but when I took out dairy and soy for instance when he was younger his colic got worse! lol so I gave that up by day 5. I really don’t want to go down the elimination diet route which is why i’m posting here and not on some WAPF blog. And yes I try to eat lots of carbs… maybe too many liquid sugars though, eating haagen dasz is great!
I have the same questions as you. I would love a whole post about babies….hint hint Matt Stone
It all makes sense! :D
My Grandmother remarked to me the other day that her father had one hell of a sweet tooth, but that his teeth were practically perfect his entire life. Hmm. This is the man who is infamous for eating dozens of tarts in one sitting…
I was raised on “whole foods” for the most part, with an emphasis on sugar avoidance (barely allowed on Easter and Christmas), and my teeth got cavities all the time.
So do you still have all that metal in your mouth?
Yes, sniffle sniffle.
Something doesn’t feel right about the idea of constantly moving into an anabolic state. My health intuition kicked in on this post as said idea smells of imbalance. It seems to me if there weren’t benefits to a catabolic state (intermittently of course) paleo wouldn’t be so popular. I’m reminded of reading Eternity Soup where the author describes a subculture of people taking HGH and seeing great results – but with dangerous side effects (I admit I don’t remember what they were). I could be wrong though – I dunno,
I tend to feel crappy when I eat too much and too often especially sugar and most refreshed when I eat exactly to appetite and moderate amounts of sugar,
I do best when I eat exactly what I want. No more, no less, nothing else.
Poll – should I have my mercury fillings removed or not. Any comments appreciated.
Kurt, since I have had my fillings removed I will reply. Have I noticed ANY difference to my health since having my fillings removed? My response is unequivocal: NO! I did indicate above that my dentist has a different tale to tell. He’s a good man, and I have no reason to doubt him. Of course, one could say it was all in his head….maybe it was. I don’t know.
Now that is not a vote against having the fillings removed. I am just giving my own experience. Now it could be that my body still has a bunch of mercury in it and that removing the fillings stopped further accumulation of mercury in my body. When I have done those urine tests it shows that I have a high level of mercury in my body. Of course, I don’t know what to make of those tests. Are they reliable?
I am not very impressed by Andrew Cutler (the main mercury detox guru) and his groupies. There is a Yahoo board devoted to this subject and mercury detox. One thing I have noticed. Nobody over there EVER gets well! As for Dr. Mercola (also another proponent of mercury detox), in my opinion, if he could turn his mother into a supplement, he would sell her on his website. I don’t trust his opinion on anything.That indicates to me that this could be just one more dead end. I am not sure about that. There certainly is some science out there that suggests mercury fillings are toxic. The alternative people will tell you there is a conspiracy to silence the facts. I don’t know. MOST Alternative health practitioners are, in my experience, every bit as greedy, ideologically-driven as their mainstream counter-parts…and you can fit their knowledge of science in a thimble.
There is something to the whole mercury toxicity story…there is probably something to the lyme disease story, but my gut feeling (for whatever that is worth…maybe nothing) and experience tell me it’s getting exaggerated by people who have a pet theory and/or are profiting from it all.
One thing is for sure: getting the amalgams removed makes you prettier!
Thomas, you apparently haven’t lurked around the frequent dose chelation group long enough. There are hundreds if not more people who have SLOWLY recovered. Some take 1-2 years, some take 5-6-7 years, and keep in mind, that many who end up there, were damaged severely by inappropriate (unsafe) chelation, and others refuse to follow the protocol to the letter.
Kurt, I don’t have any mercury fillings so I do not speak from personal experience, but I have seen the following advice and think it’s pretty wise: if you have major health issues you tie to the mercury, it may be worth having them removed (by an expert who will do it right). If you don’t, then leave them be.
I also don’t have any mercury fillings but I have had to deal with getting rid of heavy metals. I did something really stupid last year and used a cheap magnesium gel in an effort to “get more magnesium”. I didn’t want to take it as a supplement so I thought taking it topically would be great. It was basically concentrated sea water. Little did I realize that these things can contain high levels of mercury… Well, it took several months and some pretty severe symptoms before I put two and two together and I am still slowly working at getting rid of the mercury. Simple solutions: Chlorella–but taken long term I have heard can cause some vitamin B deficiencies (not sure if that is true) and food grade diatomaceous earth. Both are taken in very small amounts over a long term period. It is working and as I detox my temps are getting better.
My dad struggles with low temps too and he has a mouth full of mercury. He has been reading Matt’s website for a year now and trying all of his suggestions but he just can seem to get his temps up to normal. The only thing we can figure is that it is the fillings–he has eliminated all other metabolism lowering factors that he can think of.
So, I think that mercury does have a role to play but how severe in each case–who knows?
I want to get my mercury fillings removed. I wonder if selenium in the diet may counterract the mercury? Does anyone know? I also wonder how they are faring after decades in my mouth.
I don’t know what my temperature is, but I never have a problem with the cold.
Pink, do you know why you want to have them removed? I am afraid that the anti-amalgam people provide a laundry list of potential symptoms (just like the Lyme-heads) they claim are due to mercury poisoning. Many people have those symptoms and it would be easy to believe that those symptoms will be relieved by removing the amalgams. Chances are they won’t. I am not saying don’t do it (I did it); I am just saying don’t expect the waters to part and miracles to happen if you choose to have them removed.
Selenium is one of those things that the anti-mercury people recommend, but remember, even too much selenium can be toxic. You can get all of the selenium you need by eating a couple of Brazil nuts a day, so no need to invest in some fancy (read expensive) supplement.
And remember that once you get the amalgams removed, the anti-mercury folks will encourage you to do a detox. There are a couple of methods of detox you can pursue. One is DMPS IVs. They are expensive as hell and some people claim to have severe allergic reactions to them. I tried it. Didn’t have the allergic reactions, but it didn’t help me either.
The other method, recommended by Cutler, is to do a number of courses of oral DMSA. It’s relatively cheap but it’s a pain in the ass. According to Cutler, once you have eliminated a lot of the mercury with DMSA, you can start using Alpha Lipoic Acid. It’s important, according to him, not to start the ALA too soon, because you can just dislocate the mercury and it can resettle in a worse place in your tissue.
What I am saying is that if you choose to go down this path, you are going to find yourself in controversial territory. It’s a Tower of Babel, like diet.
Also, if you’re body is healthy with a healthy metabolism, it will detox stuff pretty well on it’s own. Maybe that’s the best thing to work on. My grandmother passed away in her mid-90s after a pretty healthy life and she had plenty of metal fillings in her mouth (and kept all of her teeth her whole life). Probably all the centenarians have them unless they were so lucky as to never get a cavity. Not everyone is affected by them. My boyfriend has a mouth full of mercury and is one of the sharpest, strongest and healthiest people I know.
That’s always been my focus. We can drive ourselves both crazy and bankrupt trying to purify ourself of toxins, or prevent them from entering our bodies. I put more emphasis on excretion, as that is a better weapon against our modern environment, and metabolism plays a big role in the functionality of our excretion pathways.
Thomas,
Main reasons are: I’m not sure how long the amalgams are supposed to last and they just feel a bit foreign. I haven’t really investigated this, but if I did decide to do it, I would research it properly and made sure I had a good dentist who knows what he is doing. I have never been to the denist as an adult and my teeth are fine. Thank you for the information and feedback.
I don’t take supplements unless I have a very good reason to as I prefer to eat good food and live well. Scares over the mercury levels in fish come and go in the media, so I thought about my fish consumption. A lot of fish is high in selenium, which is said to protect against mercury, hence my question.
I agree with The Real Amy and I have just been getting to know Matt’s approach, which is making a lot of sense to me.
There is an excellent interview with scientist who studies mercury toxicity on Chris Kresser’s podcast. I’d listen to that 1st before taking any extreme measures. I think the answer is ‘Yes, selenium supplements do protect from mercury toxicity as long as you have more selenium than mercury’.
I have always had horrible teeth. As a child, I had tons of cavities. After having wisdom teeth removed in my early 20’s, I ended up with having TMJ problems. Now as an adult, I still have major teeth and gum issues, plus have had to have a few teeth pulled due to failed root canals. Since my last (of 3) pregnancy, I started having extreme TMJ problems. That coupled with still breastfeeding my 15 month old has caused drastic weight loss, especially in the last couple months. I would love to be eating tons and tons of food, but I physically cannot eat anything crunchier than a Cheerio or very chewy. I desperately need to heal my mouth, teeth and jaw.
That said, the idea in this post is very new to me. I really, really want to believe that I could just eat anything and not worry about making my teeth worse, and actually heal myself. When I was growing up, I ate what most would call horribly. Tons of Coke, candy, chips, homemade sweets… How can eating like that make someone healthy? Although I’ve read this blog off and on for a while, I know I need to delve in a bit more to really understand. I’m a bit confused.
My personal opinion is you probably need to have enough good stuff in addition to the junk. I doubt sugar is harmful in the context of a good diet, but if it’s all sugar and junk you’re body doesn’t have enough minerals to work with. For example, Weston A.. Price healed children’s teeth with one good, nutrient-dense meal a day. They ate junky stuff like white bread with margarine and jam for the other 2 meals, and were still ok. Matt’s opinion on this may differ, though.
That’s pretty much how I feel too. There are a lot of small tricks to keep the body in an anabolic state as well, making more efficient use of the nutrition we do eat. That’s been more of the game changer for me personally and sort of the point of this post.
Real Amy and matt stone: this little dialogue between you two about “junk” food and “whole food” has settled months of confusion for me!! i was practically yelling and matt stone the other night telling him over and over that i didnt understand where the hell the balance between the two was and why, sorry matt:), but now i get it!!! thank you!!!! i just needed to see that junk food in the context of good diet with the eat for heat tricks helps us get all we need out of the nutrition we do eat! im so happy im gonna go woof down a mcdouble and not feel the least bit torn up intellectually about it! Heck yes!
Still plenty of minerals in there. If you have 2 you’ll get quite a decent amount and enough salt to make you feel super warm. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fast-foods-generic/9371/2
Those foods are much more digestible, palatable, and calorie-dense, and often quite salty and sugary as well. If you want to remineralize, you have to get into a growth state. The body doesn’t divert more minerals and protein to teeth and bone when it is breaking down and losing weight rapidly. You can still take mineral supplements like Min-Col and blackstrap molasses to help offset the deficit, and consume more things like milk and cheese which are very mineral dense. If you are worried about whether a food is good or bad for you your focus is off. Worry about how your body is working and make corrections in the main areas – sleep, digestion, urine frequency and concentration, body temperature. If you do you’ll probably make some genuine progress.
Now we are through the looking glass & out the other side. Imagine the low carb community’s collective horror-face on reading this. Hee.
The part about eating breakfast cereals has blown my mind. “BUT THEY’RE NOT PROPER FOOD!” So much orthorexia still in my brain. Thanks for everything you’re doing to counteract this tendency, Matt.
Ok just my N=1. I had perfect teeth as a kid, no cavities, until around age 11 when my mom for some reason relented and began buying Hansen’s soda for us on a regular basis. We had never had much soda or sweets before. That was when I started to get my first cavities.
I had intermittent cavities all my life until 5 years ago when I began drinking raw milk, and my teeth have been great since then.
Now, I notice that if I eat sugar for several days (like if I bake a batch of cookies) my teeth are much more sensitive, and I get itchy gums, like it feels really good to start poking them with my fingernails. Anyone else get itchy gums? It drives me nuts.
Tierney, I can’t get completely on board with the sugar is good for teeth idea. I will eat sugar, but I am going to hedge my bets and brush twice a day with non-fluoridated tooth powder (according to some the glycerin in toothpaste-even “natural” toothpaste-can cause problems) and wash my mouth out with baking soda after the consumption of sugar.
BTW, if you get the itchy teeth and or feeling gums a little sore, I have found that applying white oak bark powder (keep it there for an extended period of time, sort of like you might use snuff between lip and gums) is near to miraculous.
After a lifetime of terrible teeth and gums and every procedure in the book I can say that I’m on the road to recovery with my mouth. The most important thing was to drop the commercial toothpaste and find one with xylitol. Second, stay away from anything with mint or essential oils, they’re murder on gums that already in trouble. Floss. A lot. But avoid waxed floss, that stuff will build up between your teeth and cause even more trouble. Rinse with herbal teas – sage is excellent, so is white oak, plantain too (the herb, not the banana). Salt water is the absolute best. Get enough salt in your diet so your mouth isn’t dry. Go easy on baking soda at first, it can be irritating. Last but not least by any means, sauerkruat, the real stuff without vinegar. I don’t know how, but for both me and hubby it keeps plaque build up to a minimum. I found all this out through trial and error over time, but it all works. Best of luck and thanks for plowing through this long, first time post – great site, btw, found it when I realized my whole food diet was deficient in salt (doh!) Oh, and avoid dentists like the plague…
I eat sweets without brushing, as it is too impractical when you (sometimes) eat all day. Usually, I will swish water after eating acid foods. My grandfather ate sweets without brushing and never went to the dentist and he kept his teeth until he passed away at 93.
I make my own toothpaste which has xylitol in it. It is also an excellent but gentle general cleaner.
I have heard that sauerkraut is an excellent source of vitamin K2 which has an important role for bones and teeth. My knowledge is very sketchy.
What do you put in your homemade toothpaste? I’d like to try making my own so would appreciate if you would include approximate ratios. Thanks!
I have been taking blackstrap molasses and min col for about a year and have increased the amount of starch, sugar and saturated fats in my diet in the last few months. Went to the movies the other day and thought I would have a chocolate dipped ice cream (something I haven’t had in years). Was about half way through it when I realised that I had absolutely no tooth pain from eating it, whereas in the past eating cold things like that would have been very painful.
I think Matt is definitely onto something!! :)
Hey Matt,
Great post as always. My parents would probably disagree because they are dentists, but oh well. haha. I’m open to it though.
In an unrelated topic: Would you ever do posts on health for eyes and ears? I know you’ve mentioned things in the past, without going into too much detail, about near nearsightedness. I would like to know more. Recently, I’ve been looking into white noise. Since I am a college student, I look for better ways to focus and white noise sometimes is helpful; however, I have read that it can raise cortisol. Do you know anything about this? Is it bad? Thanks.
Dentists don’t really study this stuff. They learn all about how to diagnose and treat cavities and other tooth problems but they are not experts on all the scientific literature about all the factors that affect cavity formation and gum disease.
Of all the peoples Price studied, the Polynesians had the least tooth decay. Decay was low in all pre-industrial diets, but still, the Polynesians had the lowest of the low. What did they eat? Sugar cane, pineapples (among the highest sugar of fruit) and processed, gelatinized taro in the form of poi.
So then it begs the question, after these people adopted industrial diets, including refined sugar, what happened? why did tooth decay increase? Probably a host of reasons. A lack of a single micronutrient can cause tooth to decay over time, but part of a system that needs other factors such as sunlight vitamin D. Iodine deficiency probably played a role and affected thyroid.
I know I do poorly on Cocoa Puffs and Total. If digestion is strong one can probably handle such processed, mass produced food well, but I can’t.
I do believe the Polynesians (and other tropical islanders and coastal dwellers) had the ideal diet, with tubers as the primary calorie source supplemented with seafood and fruits. However as I get healthier I am able to eat more junk and not feel like crap for it. I tend to eat my Asian Diet (no gluten grains or corn, no dairy) while at home, and eat what’s convenient while traveling or working somewhere. I find that I look forward to going back onto my chosen food (but not calorie!) restrictions after reaching for pizza and pastries.
Personally i don’t think I would have recovered from my low carb distaster years by eating whatever I wanted including foods that aggravated intestinal distress like ice cream and bread. I would probably still be bloated and stuffy. I had to change my eating habits, develop a taste for things like lightly salted roast beets, sweet potatoes and plain white rice. My mantra: ‘eat a lot, but eat CLEAN’ to use bodybuilding terminology. works for me, I’m in the best shape of my life at 32. And this blog helped me get here.
Hi Matt — congratulations on your new book. I’ll check it out in a minute on Amazon, but wanted to ask you (and/or your followers who might be able to relate) what I should do to lower my blood pressure. I’ve been following your blog off and on for over a year now, have been eating more sugar, more salt, more saturated fat (but not very much), more starches — and my blood pressure has steadily INCREASED. (My temps are still low too, so doc is running thyroid tests.)
Anyway, you’ve written a lot on so many topics, which I truly appreciate, but I haven’t seen any blog post specifically on how to lower high blood pressure.
Mine is currently 158/88 — a rough average — but way up from the usual 120/70 that I had until about 15 months ago when it started to climb. I’ve put on some much needed weight — but just around my middle — and am too sick to exercise, can barely walk at times…
Hope you can help me out.
If you were underweight and starved prior, it’s normal to have a big blood pressure rebound as witnessed with the famine in Leningrad – and old post I wrote about years ago. Of course, the steady climb is not something you want to see forever. Odds are a very minor adjustment would send it back in the other direction. Nothing drastic at all. I would be more than happy to work with you via my Get Help program.
Thanks so much Matt — I really appreciate it.
I was in contact with you about a year ago, and am embarrassed that I didn’t stay in touch, but I still have your email address, so will definitely get back in touch with you. I guess, maybe that I didn’t feel like I was worth the trouble, but now I do.
I should note that my BP had been rising before I started increasing carbs, adding fats, but it’s definitely the worst it’s been, so am hopeful we can turn this around, and so grateful for your offer of help.
Im gonna bu your book aswell
I was just wondering, how often do you recommend to eat? interresting about the growth state and everything
Hi Matt
Congrats on your success on Amazon!
Any opinion on receding gun on otherwise healthy teeth? That’s my case,,,My mother had a severe case too, so I don’t think it’s down to brushing only (she is much more gentle on that part). Don’t think it’s hypothyroidism either as my temps are good, but my adrenals are probably not at their top.
What about canker sores? I have never had a cavity, but am plagued with canker sores. I eliminated toothpaste with sls, which has helped quite a bit, but not totally. When I get them they last for a couple of weeks and are tortuous.
Matt, with all you have to say here about sugar is good and all the whole foods you ate as a kid where bad,how do you explain the Weston A Price findings that indigenous people who ate whole foods were healthy and when introduced to modern foods ( sugar and white flour) they developed tooth decay and caries?
I was wondering the exact same thing. Matt, do you have any explanation or views of how this fits in with Weston A Price’s findings?
This is obviously something I have had to reconcile with myself over the years. I too had a rude awakening when I noticed feeling so terrible eating a whole foods diet and so much better instantly, with health issues I actually developed eating “Weston A. Price” ish going away, when eating more refined foods. I can’t summarize my way of explaining all that and the realization I have come to. My blog archives are more of an example of how my logic changed each step of the way. Perhaps a future post on that would be in order.
Awesome stuff Matt as per ush. I’m not sure if the following subject is frowned upon around these parts, but here goes.
What’s your take on marijuana? Is it pro-metabolic?
IMO it beats alcohol in every category;
-it’s supposedly anti inflammatory
-anti stress
-it doesn’t wash you out like binge drinking does
-no hangover
-stimulates appetite
Cheers
I have nothing against it, but haven’t experimented with it personally or researched it beyond watching a couple of silly documentaries overstating its benefits.
Regarding tooth sensitivity.
I feel like I’m continuously doing better on all fronts. My teeth also look better. But, in the last two weeks I’ve gotten tooth pains (just about every molar in my mouth hurts then) on occasion from eating something sweet (not nearly every time) while I haven’t had that for years, and never so many teeth at once. Strange.
Matt or anyone who can answer,
You hear sometimes that the health of your teeth are indicative of the health of your entire body, ie organs and cells, etc that you obviously cannot see. So if someone has bad teeth, the rest of their body might not be running optimally. Is this true? I was hoping so since I still have perfect teeth even after bulimia, so I’m hoping that means that the rest of my body will be okay as well!
To some extent, yes. And there’s some evidence showing that bad teeth and gums and mouth bacterial infestation directly causes disease in the rest of the body – a 2 way street.
I have been eating a lot more sugar since reading Eat for Heat, and damn do my teeth hurt! Does anyone know the reason for this or how long it will last?
My teeth hurt really bad for quite some time. Several months I would say. When I could eat sugar without tooth pain I knew I had really achieved something physiologically significant. Pay attention to biomarkers besides the teeth, such as how warm you feel, body temp, digestion, skin, nails, sleep, libido, etc. before completely giving up on it. It was improvements there that kept me eating it despite bleeding gums and tooth pain that I initially felt.
How do you know if you are on the right track or a dead end?
I felt great on low carb and everything seemed to improve until about a year later and then they seemed to reverse. This was preceeded by not so good digestion, which got worse. Your explanation of a high through stress hormones makes sense and I’m glad I found this site almost 3 months ago.
I am still trying to make sense of things.
Do you think it would it be helpful for me to dial back the sugar consumption a little until I am able to tolerate it better? Because OW.
Although I have noticed that not all sweeteners result in tooth pain. Real maple syrup, for example, causes me no pain, but birthday cake or cane juice sweetened soda does. And the pain seems to be localized around certain teeth but not others.
Oh, and I have noticed improvements with regard to several of the biomarkers you mention since eating more sugar. I’m sure I could write a long post on it!
This is one of the most bad-ass posts you’ve done in a long while. It’s right up there with Eat for Heat, which I am about half way through (after skimming it once first). I’m going to drop a glowing amazon review for E4H when I finish.
It’s got me thinking too, I’m really lucky that I only ever had two small cavities when I was young.
On the anabolic front, how many times a day are you eating? I’m pretty happy with 3x per day, and a cup of warm milk before bed. I tried 5-6x per day long ago, but it’s far too time/mind consuming for me.
I eat 2-3 major meals, but snack freely. A little snack here and there isn’t time consuming by any means, and probably achieves the same purpose as eating a small meal.
http://www.project.nsearch.com/profiles/blogs/how-i-healed-my-child-s-cavity
I just checked this article. (a) it bothers me the author ‘stole’ someone’s photo (I was thinking to myself, before I read that it was a stolen photo) that if they had a photo of the cavity, why not show a photo of the healed tooth, too? and (b) you can no longer comment of the article!
I can attest, however, to enamel rebuilding: I had two molars broke in half (top to bottom) a few months after I changed my eating to high-fat, low-carb. A filling also fell out near the same time frame. This has been over 3 yrs ago. None of these teeth have bothered me since (and I did not have money to repair them).
Low sugar eating, no grains, no fruits. I follow Bee Wilder’s Healing Naturally for candidiasis
Regarding testing our metabolism through body temperature, it seems that the generally accepted 98.6 temperature is a myth. Almost no one has this high temperature. In most europian countries, 36.6 is considered normal. So it is in Russia.
http://hypertextbook.com/facts/LenaWong.shtml
Yes, the New York times actually did an article called “Rethinking 98.6” because that was no longer “normal” body temperature.
I just read that site that Paul linked to and it seems that the 98.6 number was NEVER correct. They took an average and rounded it to the nearest degree in centigrade (or Celsius) and then converted the rounded number to Fahrenheit, arriving at 98.6. So it is not the case that our body temperatures have dropped it is just that the original number was an error. Very interesting.
I saw a few comments about how some of you don’t use pharmacy toothpaste. Would anyone care to share what your teeth hygiene regimen?
I was using Sensodyne and still had wickedly sensitive teeth, but since I read the book and have been continuing to add more sugar and salt, it seems to be going away. Now this might be placebo because I can’t conceive how it could work so fast! Anyways, I don’t really feel like I need the Sensodyne anymore so I’m curious about toothpaste substitutions…What do you use? Clove oil on a toothbrush? Baking soda?
I’m not looking to switch because I think toothpaste is bad per se (I have no clue, is it?). I don’t see how it could have much of an impact on health, but I do feel strongly about eliminating useless things out of my life, avoiding spending money for those useless things, and of course, reducing the amount of plastic tubes I throw back into nature. I have already eliminated shampoo and conditioner and always get compliments about my hair (and how fast it grows haha – thanks 180degree), deodorant and face/body washes and moisturizers. I love the alternatives, how they make me feel about my body and how little they cost! But anyways, that’s another story!
I’m enjoying my new favorite treat, which is grapefruit topped with brown sugar and sprinkled with some sea salt. So delicious. And my teeth are not even bothering me. I’m amazed – coming from someone with super sensitive teeth and acid erosion, which I’m speculating was caused by being in a starvation state.
Would you mind sharing what you use instead of shampoo and conditioner?
Sure!
I use three products – baking soda, apple cider vinegar and almond oil.
I start by putting about a tablespoon of baking soda dissovled in about a cup of warm water in a vaporiser when I’m in the shower. I squirt the mixture on my roots, then rub with my fingers a little, then rinse. I repeat the same, with the same proportions in the same vaporiser with the vinegar. This time, I squirt it from roots to ends. Best results if you rinse with cold water.
Then, if I want, I’ll add some leave-in conditioner! I use another little vaporiser for this as it’s oily. I mix about a teaspoon of almond oil in about alf a cup of warm water and spray a little on may hair from the ears down. Now you don’t need to empty this one as your hair will be super oily! Up to you to experiment how much works for your hair, including the shampoo and vinegar conditoner too.
Might take a while to get used to this regimen, but it works really well actually and is almost free! Hope this helps!
Matt,
It seems that 98.6 was never ‘normal’. There were some errors in how this number was established as the paradigm. And yet, Barnes seemed to follow this number as well. I wonder how much he saw the benefit of having such high temperatures and how much he was conditioned. I personally measured temperature of some of my young and healthy friends and each one of them has temperatue closer to 98 or lower. The only one that had higher temperature was in fact closer to hyperthyroidism, constantly losing weight.
Gah – just said that above because I hadn’t seen your reply. But yeah that was the most interesting finding to me. Makes more sense to me too than to think that the whole of humanity has seen a significant drop in body temp. Then again PUFAs are supposed to slow metabolic rate and their consumption skyrocketed in the 1950s and has stayed pretty high since then. But if the story about how the initial number of 98.6 came about is true then that explains it and there is nothing more to wonder about.
I have found that fruit juice (even diluted 50/50) causes real tooth sensitivity . Supping with mincol reverses this–and stopping the juice
Matt, I noticed in your past posts that were trying to reach higher temperature. Where this process took you? Have you reached the magical 98.6?
It’s called “FLUORIDE.”
“Well, I eat sugar all damn day long from fruit, sweet potatoes, juice, Coca-Cola, dried fruit, kid cereals, ice cream, chocolate, English muffins slathered with Smuckers, I make totally badass Tiramisu by the way, and even eat sugary stuff right before bed, and only brush a couple times a week? and my teeth just keep getting stronger.”
Okay. Call back in a few years of the sugar-fun diet. Maybe you’ll have to take this one back…
I got dental damage in the late 2000s after many years mostly sugar-free. One day at work part of my tooth just fell off in my mouth. I eat white sugar daily now for the relaxing and weight control benefits. I don’t think I will ever stop.
Okay, I am thoroughly confused. I am new to your ideas as of about a week ago. I purchased your 180 Degree Diabetes book as insulin resistance and potential diabetes are my main concern. I thought the gist of that book was that sugar, specifically fructose, and other refined carbohydrates were responsible for the epidemic of insulin resistance and one of the suggested treatments was a “high everything diet” with an emphasis on whole, nutritious foods and no refined foods. Eat beyond appetite and lie low to increase your metabolism. I could maybe go there with you but now I am reading that eating sugar and refined carbs is the best way to increase your metabolism and lower your blood sugars. This seems contradictory and since I am not a long time reader I may have missed the jump from one idea to the other. Also, does this fit in at all with Stephen Guyenet’s contention that one cause of IR is cellular energy excess which, if I understand correctly, is a result of just plain eating too much. It sounds like you are proposing cellular energy excess to me. What am I missing?
Since then I’ve realized that problems like insulin resistance stem from stress hormone production and a suppressed metabolism, that the etiology of diabetes likely has very little to do with carbohydrates – refined or otherwise, and that it’s actually a more expedient route to raise metabolism and shut down stress hormone production (and overcome eating issues, be able to eat socially, and from a sustainability standpoint) to go ahead and eat some white flour and refined sugar in the process. I wouldn’t go overboard with such foods, or even eat them when you are already warm. But they are great to consume when you are cold, especially in the hands and feet, urinating frequently, and otherwise showing signs of an active stress response.
Somehow it doesn’t make sense to me that white flour and sugar are going to be helpful since that is what most people eat in the first place and end up with these problems. How can they suppress metabolism on the one hand and raise it on the other? I am still missing something.
People eat those foods, but that is not what causes diabetes. Eating it in a different context also makes all the difference in the world.
So what DOES cause stress hormone production and suppressed metabolism if not poor diet nor lack of exercise?
So is there an answer to my above question in your latest book? Do you know what causes this slow metabolism problem or only what you’ve found to work to speed it up?
I don’t get it! If junk food is superior why are so many people ill who live of take-a-ways and chocolate etc?
They have yet to find any much of a difference between diets of healthy vs. unhealthy people. Certainly not in terms of what they eat. Although there are certainly a few things about modern foods that are less than ideal.
I like this web site so much, saved to favorites. “I don’t care what is written about me so long as it isn’t true.” by Dorothy Parker.
Matt,
you mentioned on one of your youtube videos that you brush once every 5 to 7 days, and you said that this reduced your sensitivity and that there are some good bacteria. Can you specify what you mean or is there any articles on this? and since then have you suffered any tooth aches, cavities etc
No tooth aches or cavities since. Articles on what?
Just articles on benefits of not brushing too frequently or the good bacteria you mentioned, because there seems to be overwhelming amounts of evidence that gums will worsen and teeth will rot eventually from not brushing.
have any of your cavities re mineralized or any fillings pop out, because my teeth chip off easily and are extremely sensitive and I believe its from me brushing too hard and so I wanted to try not brushing and see the effects and whether my teeth can actually harden and not be prone to cavities. And also how is the health of your gums and how long have brushed with this routine for ?
I have bought your book diet recovery 2 and I would like to say it has helped me greatly by improving my health from previous restrictive diets
Sorry for too many questions and any help will be greatly appreciated
Thanks
I too have a question about my teeth. I am starting today to take Min-Col as I have several loose teeth and I want to get them solidified. My question is, for several years now my teeth get a gooey residue when I eat, so I have to keep them brushed all the time. What is wrong with my metabolism/digestion that is causing this? My husband didn’t have this problem in his whole life. (I just turned 69).
I have been seriously reading Stone’s work for the past couple of weeks, ever since I listened to his interview with Ann Marie. I purchased and read the ebook “Eat for Heat”. I’ve got a local friend following Matt’s “ways”.
What I have yet to see addressed is people who follow a high-fat, low-carb way of eating. I see plenty of info shared about the ‘dangers’ of low-carb but not high fat.
I read WAP’s book (Nutrition and Physical Degeneration) a couple of years ago>
My fat intake is ~80% of my calories. I feel, because of this, my teeth have healed. I was using Tooth Soap prior to learning of WAP and also Bee Wilder (of “Healing Naturally” fame). I used to be in to body building and was consuming 125-150g protein/day with low fat, mod carbs.
About 3 years ago, 2 of my molars broke in half, from top to bottom, and a filling fell out. I had no money to fix them. I’d just begun eating high-fat, low-carb. I believe these teeth have rebuilt themselves as they never bother me.
I’ve also noted other healing benefits from eating high fat (all “good” SAT fat) such as: softer skin (no rough heels anymore and i’m almost 55!); “overactive bladder” gone; lost the need to wear sun glasses over my contacted blue eyes every day; lost the aches in my fingers (possibly early onset of arthritis).
The reason I am reading here, however, is because I am gaining weight and my Rosacea, which is what drove me to Bee Wilder’s program in the first place, is not better and I think it should be after 3 years of consuming high fat and supplements.
Bee Wilder’s advice is wrong. On so many levels. I hope you’ve moved on and are doing better, with less fat, and more carbs.
Check out Matt’s other blogs on candida, and you’ll find out why Bee is so wrong.
I live for tiramisu!! I have yet to find one out that is better than Olive Garden’s. How does yours compare? And can you share the recipe? :)
I like Trader Joe’s tiramisu torte. I think it’s as good as Olive Garden, maybe better. But it’s not technically a tiramisu, it doesn’t have ladyfingers, just mascarpone and whipped cream with some chocolate. I used to like Dreamery’s tiramisu ice cream, but they stopped making it or selling it where I lived.
I don’t think oral hygiene has even 20% to do with preventing tooth decay.I mostly brushed my teeth with water growing up, not very often, and rarely flossed. I had no cavities for 18 years when I was sipping on soda for an hour a day and eating Nutri-Grain bars. I thought maybe it is the acids in the soda, but maybe you are right and I just wasn’t eating enough at the time for a high metabolic rate. I got more several cavities after a year on the raw food Primal Diet. Now I’ve gone for 8 years or so with none, despite going long periods not brushing at all. I did find a good reference from Mark’s Daily Apple that water removes more plaque than toothpaste. The water removed 15% more plaque (66.19% vs 57.35% reduction).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20657090
“It depends upon secreting a lot of the hormones of youth while having a lower secretion of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol that break bone down”
I can see how sugar might lower cortisol by repleneshing glycogen stores but i dont think it will lower adrenaline. In one study scientists fed three groups of mice a high fat, high starch and high sugar diet respectively. The sugar fed mice had almost double the level of stress hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline than the mice fed fat or starch ?http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9347402?dopt=AbstractPlus6
In another study ?14 healthy children tested after being given a sugar dose equivalent to two frosted cupcakes for breakfast, adrenaline levels in the blood rose 10 times higher than they were before the children ate the sweet? however ?No such dramatic rise in adrenaline was noted in the nine adults similarly tested? ?http://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/10/us/health-new-data-on-sugar-and-child-behavior.html
While perhaps Matt’s teeth due ok w/o brushing, I can’t confirm mine are the same.
I feel that both diet, and acid erosion are to blame.
I’ve come to this conclusion because the only places where I have had cavities develop, are right where my coffee stains are, which are on the sides of my teeth. It’s very obvious; where there is a brown stain, it eventually erodes and turns into a cavity.
If your theory were correct, then we would have random cavities all over our teeth, due to poor nutrition. But it seems obvious to me that it’s a combination of both factors.
That being said, I’ve removed around 80% of my stains with oil pulling (coconut), and have spent around 100 hours the past month researching and implementing remineralization protocols.
Vit D3, K2 (supplement, and grass-fed high vit butter oil), drinking Natural Calm for Mg, fermented skate fish liver oil (A and D), probiotics, and more recently liquid Vit A (Nutrisorb A) and Vit E.
Also cut back on grains, eating lots of grass fed everything- Eggs, raw dairy, ghee, yogurt, kefir (all of these provide the calcium that the k2 brings to the teeth and bones) some meat, veggies, good water. And I still enjoy quality shade grown coffee, but now use a glass straw to avoid contact with my teeth.
Also brush multiple times a day with tooth powder containing baking soda and sea salt, swish with hydrogen peroxide (1%), and just recently purchased Dr Christopher’s Herbal Tooth Formula.
Now awaiting 16 lbs of grass-fed hydrolysed collagen from Great Lakes Co! Product originates in South America.
Yes, maybe overboard, but having 10 small cavities is no joke- I don’t plan on ever going to a dentist again. And the good news is I think I’m finally seeing a difference- not positive, but I think I just recently noticed some remineralization! Going to buy a camera lens attachment for my iphone to document changes and make sure; offer proof to others!
*Do, not due… haha
And yeah, I’ve been following Ray Peat. I think you guys are onto something with the whole sugar/carb thing. Not sure about white sugar, and I’m going to stay away from crap like Mcdonalds and factory farm tortured meat…
But the whole hormone/thyroid/stress thing seems important.
Joey Lott’s book on healing cavities is a good read.
Thanks so much for publishing this stuff, I’m reading all I can! I have several fillings and have almost always had to get more at irregular dental check-ups. Except for one time in my life–I had been a vegan for 2-3 years when, at age 17-18, I worked in a video store and practically lived on candy and soda every night. I didn’t brush my teeth at all, and my mouth was also dry all the time…Had no cavities at my dental check-up following that period! Fast-forward 12 years later, after eating low-carb, high-fat for 7+ years, tooth pain has become a regular issue and decay is even visible on a few teeth.
Looking back, I’ve often puzzled at why I had no cavities way back then but did before and since. It’s starting to make sense now.
I’m already noticing general improvements (faster, more normal pulse and warmer hands and feet) thanks to eating a starch-based diet with plenty of sugar.
Atta boy Patrick! There’s certainly much more to the “sugar causes tooth decay” story. Joey Lott’s book How I Healed My Teeth By Eating Sugar is a great complement to this post. http://amzn.to/1ul9hBg
Hi everyone! I have a toddler with severe exzema, which I’ve been attributing to her gluten intolerance and milk. I started her on marks diet today (McDonald’s, tons of gluten and milk!) and sure enough she is itching and getting red again. Will this eventually fade away if I continue with this diet (albeit with healthier whole foods, not so much fast food